Jessica Pegula shared a behind-the-scenes video of her journey to the US Open.

Jessica Pegula took the metro to the US Open grounds (Image: Instagram @jpegula)

Jessica Pegula has explained why she prefers to take the train to the US Open instead of getting a “nice car”.

The world No. 6 shared a video of herself getting on the metro to Flushing Meadows and revealed that she often picks public transport.

Fans have loved seeing Pegula’s realistic travel journey – especially because she’d be able to travel in any luxury vehicle of her choosing.

As well as racking up millions of dollars in prize money during her career, Pegula’s father Terry is worth £5.1billion ($6.8billion) according to Forbes and owns two sports teams.

But the six-time title winner decided to make her own way to the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Centre recently, sharing her journey in an Instagram video. “Why am I taking the metro? I don’t like taking a car and I like trains,” Pegula explained.

“I always try and take the train. Actually in juniors I used to sometimes take the train to the courts.” Pegula also travels to other events by public transport.

Jessica Pegula won her opening match at the US Open (Image: Getty)

She added: “I do like taking the trains to go to a lot of baseball games. I went to a Yankees game the other day.” The American has been driven to the US Open grounds in the past but admitted that it made her feel sick.

“My agent makes fun of me for not wanting to take a nice car,” Pegula continued. “We actually went to Flushing [by car] one time, it took like an hour and a half in the car and I wanted to like throw up. I was ready to like jump out of the car and walk to the site. On the way back we took the subway.”

Fans have flocked to the comments to praise Pegula for her authenticity. “Jpeg the people’s people,” one wrote. Another added: “I love this – this is why people love Jess! Go get ‘em! Thanks for the behind the scenes!”

Shelby Rogers retired with her loss to Jessica Pegula (Image: Getty)

Pegula’s video also caught the attention of some of her colleagues. Retired British tennis star Laura Robson commented: “People’s princess.” And Victoria Azarenka wrote: “You are just the best.”

The sixth seed got off to a winning start at the US Open, beating Shelby Rogers 6-4 6-3 in the first round. It was the final match of Rogers’ career as the American announced her retirement ahead of the tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz links up with rival who’s ‘on another level’ at US Open after talks

Carlos Alcaraz opened up on his golf session with tennis rival Casper Ruud (Image: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that tennis is not the only sport in which Casper Ruud excels after meeting his rival on the golf course. The Spaniard explained that a round of golf with Ruud had been on the cards for a long time after they learned of their shared love for the sport.

Alcaraz is a keen golfer and has previously shared pictures of himself enjoying a round while relaxing away from the tennis court. The two-time Wimbledon champion has expressed the importance of not thinking about tennis all the time.

But Alcaraz will need to brush up on his golf skills if he is to have any chance against Ruud, with the Norwegian promising a rematch next year. The 21-year-old says Ruud’s ability with clubs is “on another level”.

“Yeah, we played golf together. We talked a lot about playing one day in the previous tournaments,” Alcaraz said at the US Open.

“Here finally we made it happen. He’s another level in golf. He plays unbelievable. We talked a lot about how good golf is for our minds to disconnect and turn off our minds.

“Just to be better on court and at the tournaments. We can’t think 24/7 about tennis. You have to have your life as well.

“Just trying to do other things and trying to think about other things. To have 100 per cent battery to be better on court and think clearly, golf helps a lot with that.”

Ruud is keen for a rematch with Alcaraz but says one will not take place until 2025.

Casper Ruud is ‘on another level’ on the golf course according to Carlos Alcaraz (Image: Getty)

“That was really fun, a good day on the course. Carlos invited me to play so of course I was going to say yes,” the 25-year-old told Eurosport earlier this week.

“It was a good round at a beautiful club. I had a great time and I think we will try to get a rematch in, maybe next year when we come back.”

Both players have enjoyed a positive start to the US Open but Alcaraz was forced to navigate a four-set battle with Australian opponent Li Tu. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who won in Flushing Meadows two years ago, won 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1.

Meanwhile, Ruud overcame Chinese player Bu Yunchaokete with relative ease. He won 7-6 6-2 6-2.

It wasn’t plain sailing for Novak Djokovic despite his latest win overnight.

Novak Djokovic is into the third round of the US Open. (Image: Getty)

Novak Djokovic has opened up on the problems he endured with his serve despite winning through to the third round of the US Open. The Serbian was leading Laslo Djere 6-4 6-4 2-0 when an abdominal issue meant his compatriot Djere was unable to continue.

It was a record win for the 37-year-old as he became the first player in history to win 90 matches in each of the four Grand Slams.

But it was far from straightforward, with Djokovic throwing down eight double faults during the clash, with his first serve percentage down at just 47 per cent.

Pressed on the issue in his post-match press conference, Djokovic admitted: “I haven’t been serving well in the first two matches here so I’m still trying to find that rhythm and tempo.

“If you don’t have a good percentage of first serves in you have to work for your points, particularly against a player like Djere.

“I knew coming into the match that if I don’t serve well, which was the case, then I’m going to have to really grind and work for my points a lot. And that’s what I guess caused the two sets to be played over two hours.”

Prior to coming off court, Djokovic had also opened up on his service struggles to Nick Kyrgios, paying his friend a compliment in the process. “It should’ve been his second set honestly. He was 4-2 up,” said the third seed.

Djokovic served eight double faults during the clash. (Image: Getty)

“I served awful. Playing without a serve, you have to grind and run. Not everyone serves like you! I guess I have to rely on my baseline game.”

Djokovic will face 28th seed Alexei Popyrin of Australia in round three as his quest continues for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. And despite his clear concerns, he did concede he was satisfied to have progressed again.

Gael Monfils was left fuming with the umpire following a heated exchange.

Gael Monfils was caught up in an argument with the umpire during his second round match. (Image: Getty)

Gael Monfils threatened to walk off court during a fiery argument with the umpire during his US Open second-round defeat against Casper Ruud.

Monfils had progressed into round two after a convincing round one win over Diego Schwartzman, but it would be as far as the Frenchman went at this year’s US Open, with Ruud taking the tie 3-1 in sets.

However, it wasn’t before Monfils had been involved in a spat with the umpire.

It came after the Frenchman slipped to two sets down against Ruud, with Monfils returning to his bench to re-focus himself.

Unhappy with his current set-up, Monfils proceeded to change his shirt, the bandages on his fingers and his wristbands – at least that’s what he thought.

By the time Monfils had stood up to return to the court, the 37-year-old had realised he had forgotten to put his wristbands on and quickly returned to get them.

It was an honest mistake, but not one the umpire was willing to look past, with the man in the middle handing the veteran tennis star a time violation.

It’s safe to say Monfils didn’t see eye-to-eye with the decision, as he immediately protested it with the chair umpire.

Walking up to the official, Monfils commented: “This one is unnecessary.

“Why would you give me a time violation? For which reason? It is not necessary.”

Gael Monfils was knocked out of the US Open in the second round. (Image: Getty)

His plea continued: “I took my time. Can you [the supervisor] come on the court because I don’t understand?

“I changed my shirt, I changed my bandage… then I go and you give me a time violation for this?

“I don’t want to play under these conditions!”

By this point, Monfils really was raging, with the supervisor now subject to his protests.

He added: “I change my shirt, I change my bandage, I forgot to put my wristband on… it’s for the fact I’m always correct, I’ve never had this and then you tell me this.”

Charles Barkley revealed that he will be staying with TNT Sports for the remainder of his 10-year contract just several weeks after announcing his retirement.

Charles Barkley is sticking with TNT Sports (Image: Getty)

Charles Barkley is staying put at TNT Sports despite previously suggesting otherwise. On Tuesday, the 61-year-old revealed that he’d be sticking with the network through the remainder of his 10-year contract – less than two months after announcing his impending retirement from TV.

During the NBA Finals back in June, Barkley stated that the 2024-25 season would be the last one he covers on TV, regardless of whether or not TNT retained the league’s television rights. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, he inked a 10-year deal worth $210 million with the division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) in 2022.

Since making the retirement declaration, however, it seems as though Barkley has had a change of heart. “I love my TNT Sports family,” he said in a statement. “My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible.

“We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future.

Charles Barkley previously said he’d be retiring after the 2024-25 NBA season (Image: Getty)

“This is the only place for me. I have to say… I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”

Last month, WBD sued the NBA in a New York state court, alleging it didn’t uphold a “matching rights” provision present in their latest contractual agreement. TNT has expressed a desire to match Amazon’s package in the league’s new media rights deal that spans 11 years.

Charles Barkley joined TNT in 2000 (Image: Getty)

Before Barkley pledged his loyalty to TNT, ESPN, NBC and Amazon were all expected to pursue him once the network officially loses its NBA television package.

“Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in the history of television. I know I speak for all the members of the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly thrilled to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ one-of-a-kind talents and entertain fans well into the future,” TNT Sports chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser said in a statement.

“We continue to add to the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio – including new properties in the College Football Playoffs, Roland-Garros, NASCAR, BIG EAST college basketball, Mountain West football, among others – and it’s fantastic to have Charles for this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans.”

Barkley joined TNT back in 2000 and has played an integral role on the Emmy Award-winning studio show “Inside the NBA”. Back in May, he received his fifth Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese continues to tease fans as to who she is currently dating, but a recent video of her in a Pistons hoodie answers some questions.

Angel Reese subtly hinted that she’s dating Pistons center Jalen Duren (Image: Getty Images)

Chicago Sky star forward Angel Reese’s trail of breadcrumbs over who her mysterious boyfriend is seems to be nearing its conclusion.

Many fans are convinced Reese is dating Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren after the WNBA All-Star posted a video of her donning a Pistons hoodie on Thursday.

This is far from the first clue Reese has given into who her boyfriend could be. On July 30th, the pair both posted nearly identical videos on their Instagram stories.

During an August 5th Instagram live video, Reese was seen brushing her messy hair and complaining about how it looks in the morning. “Where’d you wake up” someone shouted off camera, to which Reese replied, “Shut up.”

On August 21st, Reese took to X and said “Every city hates to see us! And my man hates you cause you always in my businesssss.” This was in response to a tweet about shopping on Michigan Ave, conveniently located in Detroit.

Jalen Duren is emerging young talent for the Detroit Pistons (Image: Getty)

The final clue before the hoodie video came just days ago when Reese commented on former teammate (and girlfriend to Jaylen Brown) Kysre Gondrezick’s Instagram post.

“We love our J’s,” she commented. Brown and his Boston Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum are often referred to by their nickname: the two Js.

Reese’s video in the Pistons hoodie was the cherry on top of the rumors linking her to Duren. It wouldn’t be a shock for the pair to confirm the relationship in the coming weeks.

The news comes as Reese is in the heart of a busy week, both on and off the court. She officially announced her partnership with cereal brand “Reece’s Pieces” on Wednesday.

The Chicago Sky also announced they will be having a Barbie Night on August 30 celebrating women in sports in partnership with Mattel. Reese is known as the “Bayou Barbie” in homage to her Louisana roots.

The Sky have gone 1-2 in their return to action following the WNBA’s Olympic break and are clinging on to the league’s final playoff spot.

Reese poured in 19 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in Sunday’s 86-68 defeat against the Phoenix Mercury. The Sky will continue their playoff charge against the Connecticut Sun on Friday, August 23.

 

The mother of former Duke center Kyle Filipowski gave her side on how her son’s public relationship with an alleged “groomer” is impacting the family.

Kyle Filipowski (R) is trying not to let his personal life impact his rookie season (Image: Getty Images)

The mother of new Utah Jazz center Kyle Filipowski broke her silence on the situation of her estranged son’s alleged abusive relationship with his current fiancee.

In an interview with the Salt Lake City Tribune, Becky Filipowski said: “We didn’t ask for this. ESPN came out with that report and opened this up. We responded to that.”

“This has been an issue, painful for us for years before draft night. I’m seeing all these reports and they are speculating without doing any research. … Sometimes I wish we never spoke about it.”

Filipowski, a 2024 consensus Second-team All-American and First-team All-ACC selection at Duke, was widely expected to go in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft – potentially even the lottery.

However, reports surfaced about his relationship with now-fiancee Caitlin Hutchinson, who is seven years older than Fiipowski and started dating the Jazz center when he turned 18. She was a longtime family friend of the Filipowski family. He fell to Utah in the second round (32nd overall).

Filipowski was outplayed in the Elite Eight by NC State center DJ Burns (Image: Getty)

According to reports, Filipowski’s relationship with Hutchinson led him to be estranged from his family. His brother previously referenced Hutchinson used “coercive control” and elements of “grooming” to lure him in.

Filipowksi allegedly announced the estrangement to his family over email: “I did everything I could to convince you to support me and my choices, and you made the choice not to…. Because of the way you’ve treated me and how you continue to treat me, I don’t want you in my life. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

All of the attention had a damaging impact on Becky: “People are speculating without doing any research…Sometimes I wish we never spoke about it,” she said.

“It was like the dam gates had been opened. And almost three years worth of trying to sweep it under the rug, and trying to check him out of our lives [ended].”

“Then that happened, and it was like, ‘Oh my god. It’s out in the open.’ And just out of the nature that nobody is speaking the truth to power, that they are just speculating about all this —-.”

Filipowski didn’t help his draft stock with a poor 2024 NCAA Tournament, getting outplayed by the undersized DJ Burns and the No. 11 seed NC State in the Elite Eight. However, he’s a seven-foot stretch big who averaged over 16 points and eight rebounds a game in his two-year Duke career.

He recently signed a four-year, $12 million contract (first two years guaranteed) with the Jazz, who emphasized Filipowski’s family life had no impact on their decision to draft him.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy could barely watch as Caitlin Clark went down with an injury, putting his massive wager on the Indiana Fever in jeopardy.

Dave Portnoy expressed fear after Caitlin Clark went down with an injury (Image: X)

Dave Portnoy can breathe a sigh of relief after Caitlin Clark’s latest health scare proved to be non-serious. On Monday, the Barstool Sports founder watched in fear as the Fever rookie crumpled to the court with an ankle injury – momentarily putting his $100,000 bet on Indiana to win the WNBA title in serious jeopardy.

With 3:15 remaining in the first quarter of the Fever’s 84-79 win over the Atlanta Dream, Clark attempted to navigate around a screen when she appeared to turn her ankle. Upon planting awkwardly on her left foot, the 22-year-old immediately dropped to the hardwood and writhed in pain.

Several Fever players promptly surrounded Clark as she continued to grab at her left ankle and remain down for several moments. Team training staff additionally rushed to her aid and helped escort her to the bench, where she remained seated for the remainder of the first quarter.

Taking to social media moments after Clark went down, Portnoy shared a screen grab of her screaming in pain alongside the caption: “I cant breathe.” Once the star guard returned to action in the second quarter, however, he shared a video of his ecstatic reaction.

“Don’t worry, Caitlin’s back on the court,” Portnoy announced just as Clark drilled a 3-pointer on the TV screen behind him. She finished the night shooting 4-of-9 from behind the arc en route to tying Dream guard Rhyne Howard for the WNBA rookie record for most 3’s in a season with 85.

Caitlin Clark was able to return to Monday’s game following her injury scare (Image: Getty)

“Big win for the Fever,” Portnoy added following the final whistle. “Great game from Kelsey Mitchell. Caitlin played solid. Closing in on playoff birth.”

Speaking to reporters after the game, Clark revealed that she had no interest in going back to the locker room after her injury scare, instead opting for it to be re-taped. “I saw the replay, and I look really soft. It wasn’t that bad of a turn, but it hurt,” she said. “Sometimes you just need to give yourself a second. If you ever sprained your ankle, it just kind of stings for a little bit. I was good.

“You’re not a real basketball player if you haven’t sprained your ankles a bunch. That’s when you know.”

Clark ended with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on 6-of-14 shooting from the field to help the Fever secure their third win in four tries since WNBA play resumed post-Olympic break. Indiana currently sits at 14-16, good for third place in the Eastern Conference Division.

Earlier this month, Portnoy placed a $100,000 wager that would net him $10 million should the Fever win the WNBA championship this season. Sharing a photo of the DraftKings bet slip on X, he wrote: “Caitlin Clark is a top 3 player in the league. Maybe the best. She got rest for the 1st time in a year. Aliyah Boston and her chemistry grows every game. They started 1-8. 10-7 since then and improving. I had to do it.”

Yoshihito Nishioka required treatment from medics on court after collapsing during his match with Miomir Kecmanovic.

Yoshihito Nishioka retired after falling unwell during his U.S. Open match with Miomir Kecmanovic

Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to pull out of his U.S. Open match against Miomir Kecmanovic after collapsing to the ground in scary scenes in New York.

The Japanese player could be seen receiving treatment from medics after becoming unwell during the fifth set of their match.

While Nishioka lay down on the ground, his opponent Kecmanovic showed his obvious concern by sitting down next to the 28-year-old and checking on his wellbeing.

With the score left at 6-7, 6-2, 7-5. 5-7, 0-1 in Kecmanovic’s favor, Nishioka stopped on the court and slumped to the ground in apparent agony.

Yoshihito Nishioka was forced to retire in the fifth set (Image: Getty)

Medics quickly rushed to his aid and the situation turned serious with every minute that passed as Nishioka lay motionless on the floor.

He was eventually taken away in a wheelchair after being forced to retire from the match, giving Kecmanovic the victory. But the Serbian was more concerned for his opponent, bringing him water as he sat with him while he underwent treatment.

Nishioka later sent a message out on social media apologizing for making his fans feel worried and explained why he suddenly felt unable to continue.

“Thank you for all your support. I apologize for worrying you. I was already feeling cramps around the 33rd point of the 4th set, and I was already cramping when I served at 5-4,” Nishioka wrote on X.

“In the final [set], my waist started to spasm more than my legs, and I couldn’t stand up. Then my legs started to spasm too. Then my shoulder blades, both hips, sides, and thighs started to spasm repeatedly.”

Nishioka also raised concerns about the support from the officials after his request for a stretcher fell on deaf ears. Instead, he was taken away in a wheelchair while he was having “convulsions.”

Miomir Kecmanovic stayed sat beside Yoshihito Nishioka (Image: Getty)

“I started having difficulty breathing, but with the support of my team, I was put into a wheelchair [I asked for a stretcher but it didn’t come] and carried away while still having convulsions,” he explained.

“The convulsions didn’t stop for about an hour, but I’m feeling better now. My body parts are hurting a lot, so I’m going to skip the doubles and go back to Japan.”

While Nishioka will head home for some rest, Kecmanovic can look forward to a second-round match-up against 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti at Flushing Meadows.

Novak Djokovic is the defending champion at the US Open.

Novak Djokovic is preparing to try and defend his title at the US Open (Image: Getty)

Novak Djokovic has claimed that he never wants to “recover” after achieving one of his biggest career goals by winning an Olympic gold medal earlier this month.

The world No. 2 is seeking his first Grand Slam title of the year at the US Open – his last chance to win a Major trophy in 2024.

Djokovic has not played since the Paris 2024 Games, opting to miss the pre-US Open warm-up events. Ahead of his first match in Flushing Meadows, Djokovic shed light on his feelings after his Olympics glory.

“I hope to never recover from that [Olympic triumph], because it’s the best set of feelings that I ever had as an athlete,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion told Eurosport. “On the court but also off, when we went back to celebrate with our people, all of the Serbian Olympians that managed to win a medal.”

The Olympic gold medal was Djokovic’s first title win of the 2024 season. And he’s hoping that it’s the boost he needs coming into the last Grand Slam of the year. He continued: “It was a very unique moment for me.

“I’ll never forget it and I’ll try to use it as a great confidence boost for what’s coming up in New York in the next few weeks.”

Novak Djokovic says he never wants to recover from winning the Olympics (Image: Getty)

The 37-year-old has not played a match since he beat Carlos Alcaraz in two tiebreak sets to win the Olympics earlier this summer. He chose to withdraw from Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati and comes into the US Open with no matches on the North American hard courts.

Explaining his decision, Djokovic added: “I haven’t had much time to recover or much time to train. I tried to get the most out of the few weeks that I had. I had more than all the other guys that played the tournaments.

Novak Djokovic is the reigning US Open champion (Image: Getty)

“But that was a conscious decision that I made not to have any lead-up tournaments to the US Open because I just felt that the calendar is too congested this year with the Olympics. I needed my break, short but sweet, celebration, family quality time and then of course started my training and trying to build my body, build my form for the start of the tournament.”

Djokovic is the reigning champion at the US Open, where he won a record-breaking 24th Grand Slam title last year. He begins his title defence against Radu Albot in the night session on Monday.